How Things Could Have Been
by YAXON
Summary: Title is subject to change. By a twist of fate, Byrne Faraday walks by the orphanage that houses a certain raven-haired child, and eventually comes to adopt the child. How would things have turned out had someone actually been there for Souta Sarushiro back then? As of Ch7, organized into arcs. Current arc: KG-8. AAI2/GK2 Spoilers.
1. Drabble One: The Beginning

The New Year had come and gone; January was halfway over already. It was a bitterly cold, gray day. Snow blanketed the streets of LA, and ice coated the roads and sidewalks – a horrible day for an investigation outdoors. Yet there was no rest for the wicked; a murder had occurred the night before. Not too surprising, given the type of neighborhood the victim had lived in.

Prosecutor Byrne Faraday had just concluded his investigation for the day, so he was eager to get home to see his little girl. As he trudged along, the light layer of snow on the sidewalk crunched beneath his feet. The general area did not look that great at all; abandoned buildings left and right, and even the occupied ones were in pretty bad shape. It was more or less the slums of LA. The one good thing was the homely-looking little orphanage that Byrne was just passing by on his way to his car. The sign out front declared the building to be 'The Happy Family Home'.

Byrne couldn't help but smile mirthlessly. Even a well-intentioned facility as this one appeared rundown. Perhaps they lacked proper funding, or they were just going through a rough time. Whatever the case, the orphanage looked like it had seen better days.

As Byrne was about to walk right by it, a boy in a red raincoat caught his eye. The boy appeared sad and all alone as he went about making an igloo. The young prosecuting attorney swore that he could distinctly hear the lad sniffling as well. Not an uncommon occurrence; plenty of orphans were dissatisfied and depressed about their situation. Yet there was something about this one child that made Byrne pause on his way home. As Byrne listened in, he could barely make out the boy's pained whispers that were most likely not meant for anyone's ears but his own.

"Why won't you come back, dad…? Why did you have to leave me all alone?"

The boy continued to morosely shake his head and utter similar things under his breath, but Byrne was hung up on those queries. Was this youth simply… abandoned? It was certainly not within the realm of impossibility, yet it was unfathomable to think that a father would do that to his own child. What kind of selfish man…?

Before Byrne knew it, he found himself striding past the front flowerbeds and right up to the boy.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing…?" Byrne trailed off uncertainly as he tapped the boy's shoulder. The boy jolted at the abrupt touch, and whipped around to face the young prosecutor.

"Wh-Who are you?! What do you want?" The boy demanded to know.

Frowning at the youth's instant distrust, he knelt down to the boy's level and spoke to him in a calm tone.

"My name is Byrne Faraday, and I would like to help you."

**These will be short, short one-shots that won't be in chronological order – nor will they necessarily be connected in the same AU all the time, if I feel like writing a different kind of scenario. I feel like Souta is neglected on this site; haven't even read one fanfic involving him as a major character. Maybe it's 'cause fans are more interested in romance, maybe it's 'cause not too many know about him, or maybe it's 'cause nobody cares enough to write about him. For me, after having watched the English fandub of Gyakuten Kenji 2, I liked the character all the more. So… we're going to rewrite history a bit and show glimpses of what could have been. The first few one-shots will more or less start off rocky in terms of relationships between characters; I'll be using the Japanese name of Souta Sarushiro unless people would prefer the fandub name of 'Simon Keyes'. **

**So review and tell me what you think! I would make these longer, but given that I have two major fanfictions going on right now, I can't dedicate too much time to these. Still, I can't help but write **_**something**_**. I don't want to let my inspiration to write for Souta go to waste, and so… the idea for these one-shots was born. **


	2. Drabble Two: The Deal

"My apologies, Mister Faraday, but if the boy wants nothing to do with you, he wants nothing to do with you." A young blonde woman reiterated in a stoic voice. She seemed annoyed to still be having a conversation with Byrne; they had been going on about their topic for a while now.

"The boy needs proper love and care!" Byrne shook his head, arguing heatedly. "While I don't question the methods of you and your orphanage, it's quite obvious the child is miserable and desperately yearning for a stable parent in his life!"

"You saw him _one time_…"

"And wouldn't that be enough to at _least _look into the boy's situation more? I saw him when he was at his most vulnerable; when he was alone. He didn't even know that I was present until I was right next to him."

The young woman remained unimpressed by Byrne's arguments.

"And yet, for all his misery and woes, he survives. Mr. Faraday, surely you must realize that Souta Sarushiro is no different from any of the other orphans that live here. They have all lost their parents in some shape or form. Like all the others… He is content in our little Home."

'_At last. A name.' _Byrne couldn't fight the victorious smirk that made his lips curl up.

"Your orphanage is the only 'home' he's had ever since he lost his father. For the past week, I have seen _no other children _interact with that boy. If he came to live with me, he would have me and my daughter to look after him. Perhaps he is safe and secure here, but he's not _happy_, Miss Miwa."

Mari briefly considered Byrne's words. While it was true that there was _almost_ no one besides herself that would interact with Sarushiro, there _was _one exception that Faraday didn't seem to know about. Yet it remained troubling that this man would observe the boy so closely, hanging about _her _establishment as if he had any right to do so. On top of which, a certain plan was supposed to be set in motion soon, so she had to make Faraday scarce as quickly as possible.

"And you could personally guarantee this 'happiness'?" Miwa scoffed. "For all your persistence, all I've heard from that boy is how much he wants you to just go away. To be honest, your obsession could be suspected as pedophilia. Why not let the boy go where he wants?"

"Because every child deserves to know that someone knows and cares about them. Not all children are wired the same way; Souta might not even know how to approach someone in order to be adopted." Byrne knew he was grasping at straws now, but quite frankly this woman was testing his patience. He was definitely not impressed with what he had seen so far; the facility itself was in tatters in many aspects – though that may have been partially due to a lack of real funding given the area of the city they were in – and there was just something about this woman that rubbed him the wrong way.

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Miwa finally settled on a compromise. Byrne had to be far away from the orphanage by the time February tenth rolled around, and it was now the twenty-eighth of January. Faraday wasn't going to back down anytime soon, but at the same time, Miwa knew she had to pass off as a loving and doting caretaker, so she couldn't just let Faraday win the argument so easily either. He might suspect something if she gave up out of the blue.

"Alright, Mister Faraday, here's what we'll do," Mari licked her lips delicately as she chose her next words carefully. "We're dealing with a child's life here… But he's a child under _my _care. Given that Souta doesn't seem to like you very much at this point in time, I will give you one week to _begin _to change his mind about you. As we both know, you would need much more time to actually have an impact on the boy, but if he would rather be anywhere except with you, then what would be the point of allowing you to adopt him, hm? If you manage to positively affect the boy in some way in the allotted amount of time, the boy is yours. However, should you fail to make any difference at all, I never want to see you around here again. I don't need you or your ilk scaring the children, no matter how well-meaning you are."

Byrne scowled slightly at the blonde woman's proposal, but couldn't really object to any of the points she brought up. She _was _giving him a chance, and that was more than her previous, obstinate refusals. On the other hand, a week's time was hardly enough for him to interact with the boy at all. Despite how much he cared, Byrne couldn't just stay away from the office for a week, let alone the courtroom. He could always ask Tyrell to step in for him, but the man had his hands full as well. Plus, Souta would likely have a similar, negative reaction if another adult approached him…

And just like that, a metaphorical lightbulb went off in Byrne's head, and a weary smile crept onto his face as he shook Miwa's hand.

"I accept your terms, Miss Miwa."

**I know I said that we'd most likely be jumping all over the place with these drabbles, but these first few are really just setup for later drabbles. I'm not quite sure how many characters will be involved in the grand scheme of things, but truthfully, I don't have this huge overarching plan, like I do for some of my other stories. This one is more for fun, and to explores any number of possible changes in the plot for the Ace Attorney series, in addition to being a test for penning smaller scale stuff, because I really need experience in that aspect of writing. So easy to draw up huge plots and slowly fill in the details as I go along, but not so easy to write out tiny, tiny things, at least for me. **

** On the topic of names of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 characters, I did say I would change 'Souta' to 'Simon' if people wanted, but at the same time, I'm aware that there might be 'canon purists' in a case like this because 'Gyakuten Kenji 2' never localized anywhere outside of Japan, and so those hypothetical 'purists' may not acknowledge the English fandub name. I'm aware I can't please everyone, so I might just change the Japanese names to English fandub names later on if I ever feel like it personally. Sometimes it just feels unnatural, really, though I'm neutral on this topic in general.**

** On a lighter note, we'll definitely be seeing Kay next chapter. True, she'll be like five years old, but for fans of that future Great Thief, that should bring some joy, eh? We might also see Horace Knightley sometime in the next few drabbles…**

** Anyway, thanks for all the favs and alerts! And of course the Reviews.**

** Review Replies: **

** Integras: Thanks! You'll most likely be seeing Horace sometime in the next two or three drabbles; really depends on how Kay and Souta's interaction pans out. Not sure how I want to introduce him yet, but he's definitely planned for a 'near-future' debut. **

** White Weasel: Thanks for the review! I did take your advice about the summary's spoiler warning. and your idea sounds interesting, too. Hope it goes well!**

** Zerkon Terona: Sounds good! Given the unplanned nature of this fanfic, I'll try and publish these chapters when the ideas form completely. I've been sitting on this one for a while, but I wasn't too happy with how it was turning out a couple months ago. Partially has to do with my indifference towards Mari Miwa's character, but fortunately she won't be seen again for a few chapters, so the next few might come out quicker. Depends on school, too. Thanks for the review!**

** ivyclan moonblossom: Heh, you made my day yesterday. I was thinking of updating this thing relatively soon, so here this is. Maybe it's not much, but we'll be returning to the 'cuteness'/hear-warming stuff next time. Everyone so far seems to prefer Simon, but I think I'll keep it as Souta for a little while longer. I sort of like both, and am just used to referring to him as Souta ever since watching the English Subs when they came out a few years ago. Then the English Dub came out, having wrapped up this past summer, and I've just been sad I can't seem to get ahold of the game, but all the same I've enjoyed watching a playthrough on Youtube. So wish they would've localized… **


	3. Drabble Three: Something New

Simon wasn't sure what to make of the girl in the pink shirt at all. She didn't seem lost, but all the same, she wandered over to him specifically, when there were plenty of other children out on the playground. Even if she was new, surely she would've picked up by now that the general consensus was to steer clear of him… Nobody bothered to approach him as bubbly as this little girl. Nobody.

"Hi!" The raven-haired girl greeted as she came to a stop a couple feet away from Simon. "I'm Kay! What's your name?"

Simon continued staring at Kay as if she sprouted a second head. The girl couldn't have been older than seven. Maybe she was just one of those blissful, ignorant types? Well, even if that were the case, maybe… maybe they could… No, it was best not to get his hopes up. He'd long since learned that painful life lesson.

"… Simon." The raven-haired boy answered neutrally. He'd wait a little and see how this conversation panned out before shooing her away.

"That's cool!" Kay grinned widely, lifting a hand to her mouth to smother a giggle. "You must rock at Simon Says, huh?"

"Um… Not really." Simon shook his head slowly. He really hoped she wouldn't pry anymore; opening up old wounds was just as bad as opening up new ones.

"No?" Kay cutely pouted as she crossed her arms in contemplation. "How 'bout tag? Hide 'n Seek? Kickball? Baseball?"

Simon nervously stopped her there.

"N-No to all of those…" All of those games had to have two people to play at least.

"Do ya like to draw? Make snow-stuff? What do ya do, Simon?"

… This girl was definitely blissfully ignorant if she couldn't see the snowman behind him. Or maybe she had too much candy or soda and she wasn't thinking clearly. Simon sighed ruefully before turning back to what he was doing.

"Just… Just go play with some of the other kids, Kay. I don't want you to get in trouble for being seen with me…"

"Want a Swiss Roll? Daddy gave me two, but he says it's good to share!"

Simon tensed at this new information being brought up.

"D… Daddy?"

Kay only nodded vigorously in response.

"Daddy's got the best job in the world! He catches the bad guys and puts 'em in jail! But even better, he buys me Swiss Rolls every day! So ya want one?!"

For a long time, Simon stared at Kay. Simply stared. A million thoughts were flying through his head at once… What was this girl doing at the orphanage if she had parents – or at least a parent? Why did her father allow her to run free in this crummy part of town? Who was her father? A law enforcement officer, obviously, but that only narrowed the field so much. Besides, Simon wasn't very knowledgeable about grown-up occupations anyway; Kay's 'father could be anything from a cop to a detective to some fancy-shmancy lawyer.

Regardless of all these questions overwhelming Simon, one thought prevailed over all the others. This girl did not belong here. She had a loving father and likely a very cozy home. Kay didn't deserve to be here. Even if she didn't mean it, the sole fact that Kay had a father that took care of her… it could hurt the feelings of the orphan kids here. It _would _hurt their feelings. No matter how amicable she was, Kay didn't deserve to be here.

So why didn't he feel bitter about this revelation? He should feel bitter about this, right? After all, here Kay was flaunting the fact that she had a doting father while he was forced to live in an orphanage. An orphanage that did the bare minimum of taking care of its children. An orphanage that made him feel isolated, unwanted.

The orphanage changes people – and really not for the better. He had every right to feel angry at Kay… but he wasn't. He didn't even feel that resigned tiredness he felt when he couldn't muster up his anger properly. In fact, he felt, dare he say it, the tiniest vestiges of happiness welling up inside of him. Another human being was _interacting _with him, and not just because they felt compelled to or because they thought nothing had changed in the relationship.

Knightley had evidently forgotten about what had happened back then. Understandable, but that didn't make him forgiven. Simon remembered, and that was all that mattered.

Simon's tummy chose that moment to rumble. Simon's cheeks colored rosily. Kay giggled and pressed the package containing the single Swiss Roll into Simon's chest.

"Take it! You obviously need it more than I do, dummy. C'mon!"

Tentatively, Simon raised his hands and grasped the golden package, never once taking his eyes off of Kay. Kay's eyes formed an upside down 'U', and her grin became wider if that were possible. No matter how much Simon scrutinized Kay, she didn't show signs of deceit or ill will. Either Kay was a very good actress – unlikely, given how young she appeared to be – or she genuinely wanted to share a treat with him.

This was a very novel experience for Simon, and he was still processing how he felt about it. Nevertheless, Simon gratefully accepted Kay's gift and hungrily tore back the wrapper to get at the Swiss Roll. Simon couldn't really say he'd ever seen one before, much less one that was purportedly from a Courthouse. It looked… beautiful. It certainly looked tastier than the food the orphanage tended to serve to the children. And the smell… Even the smell was scrumptious. Wow!

Simon never knew people could manufacture such a delicacy. This had to have cost a fortune or something… Well, a fortune for people living in the slums of Los Angeles. Simon stole one last wary look at Kay before taking an experimental nibble.

Ohohoho. The taste outdid the look and smell by a landslide. Once Simon got a small taste, he tore into it with gusto and unashamedly licked his fingers when the Roll was all gone. After inhaling the treat like that, Simon felt sheepish; for all he knew, this was a onetime thing and he'd never see Kay again. He really should have savored it more…

All the same, Simon gave Kay an appreciative glance and nervously poked his pointer fingers together.

"Um… Thanks, Kay. That really meant a lot to me." Simon shuffled his right foot awkwardly. Suddenly the ground looked a lot more interesting.

"So ya liked it?! I wanna hear you really, really liked it!" Kay gushed. Simon's cheeks flushed again.

"Yes… I really, really liked it." Simon freely admitted. Was this girl ever not bubbly?

"Swiss Rolls are the best! You can never have too many." Kay chirped. Her lips quirked into a sly grin as she bounced on her heels a little. "Hey, do ya mind if I hang out with ya more this week? Daddy's gonna be here for a job all week, and I kinda don't wanna stay home alone all day…"

Simon shuffled his feet again and pondered her request. So, their friendship wouldn't be permanent after all. Still… He could see her more. This wouldn't be a onetime thing. Simon had long since learned the old adage of 'you never know what you have until the well runs dry.' Or something along those lines. The point was, Simon would never take opportunities for granted. Especially considering how rare they were for him.

"Sure, Kay…" Simon attempted to give Kay a disarming smile, though it came across as more tired and weary. He'd definitely experienced more bad things in life than most kids when they reached his age; well, he assumed so, anyway. Not very many could claim to have been in a life-or-death situation like he had.

Still, Kay stuck out a hand, which Simon looked at for a few tense moments. Kay was grinning playfully again, and she was eye-smiling again. Simon reluctantly clasped his hand in hers and she shook it a few times.

And something new began for Simon Keyes.

**Author's Note:**

**Thought I'd never update this again, much less update again this year, did ya? I'd had part of this written in late April, but I could never figure out how I wanted this interaction to go. Half a year later, I had it sitting in front of me again and I just… wrote. It came out alright, I think. You guys are the judges and all that, so I can't say much in terms of its quality.**

**In accordance with readers who've spoken up, I've changed Souta's name to Simon. Had some fun with it, too - if Kay's light joke about it is any indication. :D **

**Lemme know how Kay's character came out! Sweet girl. Not too sneaky or sly yet, but she'll develop into the teenager we all know and love. Kinda. I can't stress enough that this fic will explore potential alternate routes in the Ace Attorney series; I won't spoil anything concretely, but Kay's backstory might change greatly with the eventual addition of Simon to the Faraday Clan. **

**You'll see what I mean, though. We've still got some buildup to do, but not a whole lot. Simon will likely get adopted in the next chapter or two; as always, I don't have a concrete plot for this story. I like the liberating feeling that comes with such a loose plot. If I change my mind about a certain plot point, I don't have to worry about alternating the continuity of the story too much. I just have to be mindful of what's already been published. ^^**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and alerts!**

**Review Reply:**

**MadFox32: Thanks! Hope to keep you entertained with this story. :)**


	4. Drabble Four: Merits of Adoption

"So… You seem to have taken a shining to that new kid on the block," a boy with short black hair started conversationally as he and Simon worked on the foundation of a snow fort. It was about midafternoon, and the skies were overcast.

"Well… Kay isn't exactly going to be… permanent here." Simon answered hesitantly. He vigorously patted a corner of the fort and further added, "Her dad's here in the area because of his job. She'll only be here for a few more days, and then she won't come around here anymore."

The other boy scoffed at his friend.

"Well no duh! Anybody with eyes could see she's like some rich kid, what with her nice, clean clothes and whatnot. She's obviously not from around here." He rolled his eyes, but then eyed his friend strangely. "I can't help but wonder, though… Why does she hang out with you so much? There're plenty of other kids here, too!"

"I… don't really know." Simon averted his eyes. At least according to her, it was because he looked lonely, but… Simon was never one to take things at face value. Especially _good _things.

"Tch. Well, it's none of my business who she hangs out with, I guess. I just thought it was one of those things where you were like the first person she saw, and she didn't bother branching out or whatever." He stroked his chin as a thought occurred to him. "Say… Since she's a rich kid, do you think she'd spread the wealth a little? It'd be nice to get some nicer threads, y'know? Anything's better than the dirty rags they give out here."

Simon's eyes widened at the suggestion, and he froze up. In the next moment, he grabbed ahold of his friend's collar with both hands and mustered his fiercest scowl.

"I won't let you use Kay like that, Horace! She's… She's just a little kid! How could you even…!"

"Whoa, there! I was just joking around, pal. No need to get all self-righteous about it." Horace sarcastically remarked. When Simon sourly released him and returned to their task, Horace dusted himself off a little before joining back in. "… You really like that kid, don't you? Only been around here the past couple days, and you're already treating her like she's your new best friend."

Simon was quiet for a while after that, but eventually he gave an answer.

"… You should know why that is, Horace. After all we've been through…"

"Maybe." Horace grunted. "But you know she won't be around forever. She'll be gone soon enough, and then things will be back to 'normal'. Why get so hung up on a kid you'll know for like a week? Seems like a waste of time to me."

Simon remained reticent after that. Horace did have a point, and wasn't it his own belief that such good things never came so easily? And yet… as pessimistic as he was, Simon couldn't help but get his hopes up a little. Even if Kay's dad did turn out to be that one guy that was also visiting him on a semi-regular basis that week, Simon was beginning to wonder if getting adopted by him wouldn't be so much of a bad thing anymore.

He'd be getting adopted into Kay's family, after all.

"Hey, Simon! Sorry I'm late…! Hey, who's your friend?"

… Speak of the devil.

"O-Oh… Um… Kay, this is Horace Knightley. Horace, this is Kay." Simon tentatively introduced them to one another, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

He needn't have worried about how they would react to each other.

"Nice to meetcha!" Kay, being the bubbling ball of energy she always was, stuck out her hand without hesitation. Horace smirked slightly at the girl's naiveté, but indulged her all the same by returning the handshake.

"Hmph. I've seen you around recently, so I guess it's about time I properly met you. Been keeping Simon company lately, have you?"

"Simon's awesome!" Kay gave a closed-eyes grin. "A little quiet and not too big on games, but he's fun!"

Horace smirked at that.

"Well, I _love _games! Have you learned about chess yet? If not, I bet I can make your day…"

Simon frowned at the thought of Horace stealing Kay for the day, but he needn't have worried about that either. Kay crossed her arms and made an overexaggerated grumpy face.

"Chess is a game for adults! It's really boring; usually my dad won't play, but when he does, it takes sooo long to make one move! Why would I wanna play a game like that?

Horace recoiled slightly at the instant dismissal of a game he'd only recently discovered and fell in love with. For whatever reason, Simon had to suppress a smile that was threatening to appear on his face. But Kay wasn't done.

"I like checkers, though! Or Connect Four! Or…" She began rattling off a number of games that progressively became less related to chess and even strategy in general. When she reached "Hungry, Hungry Hippos", that was about all Horace could take if the scowl on his face was any indication. Irritated, he stormed off, grumbling about little girls too hyped up on sugar. When Horace was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew. I thought he'd never leave! So waddaya wanna do today, Simon?"

… It wasn't much, but in that moment, Simon seriously began to consider the merits of getting adopted by that prosecutor. If he hadn't had to put on the act of being Knightley's friend, he would've been howling in laughter. That was honestly an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time; intentional or not, Kay was lowering his defenses bit by bit…

* * *

A lighter flickered on and off casually when Patricia entered her office that evening. Once she realized just who was in there, she quickly shut the door and locked it despite her 'open-door policy' with the children.

"Cutting it a bit close there, aren't ya, Patty?" A guttural voice mused. The man continued to finger the lighter.

"Shut it, Blaise… I'm doing what I can." Patricia hissed. "It's not exactly _easy _to maneuver around your subordinates! The man is fixated on that one kid, so we struck a deal. If he hasn't changed that brat's mind by the end of the week, he isn't allowed here anymore. Either way, he'll be outta here before February 10. I swear."

"Hmm. Even so, what would be the harm in letting Faraday have the brat? The quicker this is resolved, the lesser of a reason he has to hang around here. I don't like cutting it so close to the deadline, and you _know _that forbidding him to come around will only encourage him to test the boundaries. Faraday is stubborn like that – I should know."

Patricia growled in frustration at that.

"You think I don't know that?! Faraday is already suspicious enough of me; if I were to capitulate now, he might grow more suspicious! Enough to have me investigated and ruin the whole plan!"

"That is true," Blaise hummed agitatedly. "I suppose we have no choice. If Faraday and his little brat are unable to convince that boy by the end of the week, then it will be up to you to… 'encourage' him to leave. Use any means necessary – this _is _your 'home', so make use of the children if you must. From what little I've seen this Simon is isolated enough as it is, so it shouldn't be hard to manipulate the brats a step further into bullying him. Make him uncomfortable here, and he'll take the only chance he has at 'happiness'."

Patricia considered these suggestions, and then nodded stiffly.

"… I suppose. It's not as if _you _could do anything at this point, anyway, considering his interest in the brat doesn't interfere with his work ethic..."

"And my interference would have the same effect as you capitulating so quickly," Blaise added. "No, no, this will have to do. I will see to a contingency plan if this falls through, but you _need _to convince that brat to leave as soon as possible. Not only will it get Faraday out of our hair, but we will also remove one potential witness through this adoption."

Patricia had to admit, it was the ideal solution. February 10 wasn't getting any further away, and they didn't exactly have a backup location for the murder of the _President of Zheng Fa_. One way or another, Simon Keyes would have to go. That was all there was to it.

* * *

** Author's Note: **

** While the children play, the villains will plot and scheme, eh? Not much happened this chapter, in the grand scheme of things, but it gets me thinking of the short-term future. Simon Keyes' absence will pretty much dramatically affect the SS-5 Incident, seeing as how he was a pretty important witness to it. What will that mean for Sirhan Dogen, without Simon there to warn him about his employers' betrayal? What about the investigation into the SS-5 Incident? **

** I have a vague idea for how I want it to turn out, at least in some respects, but we won't worry about that next chapter. Next chapter, Simon finally comes to a decision about the Faradays, which is probably what y'all have been waiting for. :D After that, who knows how these short one-shots will play out? I certainly don't. … Not yet, anyway. After next chapter I'll probably consider what snapshots you wanna see of Simon's life after his adoption – or I'll go with something I want, and **_**then **_**consider what you wanna see. Either way, I won't mind hearing you guys out, provided the suggestions are within reason and that there aren't OCs; I'd like to try my darnedest to keep significant OCs out of this as much as possible. ^^;**

** Ah, and I decided to go with the English Fandub names for everybody. Easier for me to remember. :P And don't worry about Knightley too much; he appeared to be kind of a jerk here, but that's just how I envisioned his character to be, even at this point in his life. I know he's not rotten to his core - yet - but Simon doesn't know that. ... Nor does Simon realize he's mixed up their dads. :P I can promise Knightley won't die in the coming incident... probably. lol**

** Review Reply:**

** anxious anon: Yeah, I don't mind exploring these characters some more. Especially Simon, but I can see some future one-shots focusing on Byrne, too. He is – or rather was – one of the few 'good' prosecutors prior to Edgey and Franzy having respective changes in heart. And Blackquill. And Klavier. And… Yeah, okay, I guess it's 'harder' to find prosecutors that are truly rotten to their core. Von Karma and Blaise apparently belong to a minority. XD**

** I was wondering what you and at least one other reviewer were talking about, and then I got a glimpse of the summary. Whoops! My bad. Sorry about that… ^^;**


	5. Drabble Five: A New Life

"So, you're really leaving?"

Simon didn't tear his eyes from the ceiling as he lay in his bed. He had a somewhat resigned expression when he answered.

"I guess… Not like I had much of a place here to begin with."

Knightley rubbed the back of his neck as he tore his eyes away from Simon.

"Comes with being abandoned by our families, I guess. Just didn't peg you to be so trusting of the first guy to show interest in adopting you…"

Simon rolled his eyes.

"I'm not so sure about _him _yet, I'm doing this more for Kay than anything else."

"The girl? She really wormed her way into your heart that much?" Knightley seemed skeptical of this, too. "Just doesn't add up."

_'Of course _you _wouldn't understand,' _Simon thought bitterly. Aloud, he simply replied, "I have my reasons; don't worry your pretty little head over it. Look at it this way: If_ I_ could get adopted, your time will come and probably soon. What with your winning personality and all."

"… I guess you're right. Heh." Knightley smirked a little and crossed his arms. Simon rolled his eyes again at his naiveté.

A knock came at their shared room just then, and Patricia Roland entered.

"Simon, darling, your ride is here. You are ready to go, correct?"

Simon sat up in the bed slowly and stretched.

"Yeah." Simon muttered, looking up at Roland. All he really needed was his red jacket and the clothes on his back; when Mister Faraday saw his spare change of clothes, he promised that they would get him some new ones, along with a new toothbrush and the like. Simon couldn't find a reason to disagree, so he just let the man go through the trouble. Simon shot Knightley a sidelong glance and said, "Well… See ya."

"… Yeah. See ya." Horace said, not really sure of what else to say.

A few minutes later Simon, clad in his red jacket, was following Roland to the front of the orphanage, where Kay and Mister Faraday were waiting for him. It didn't take long for Kay to run up to Simon and hug the stuffing out of him.

"Simon…! I can't believe this is happening!" She grinned excitedly.

If Simon was honest with himself, neither could he. It all felt surreal. Could he really put his trust in the Faradays?

… But then, Simon reminded himself. This wasn't just for him. Simon was allowing this adoption to go through because of what happened a couple days ago. That's when he came to realize he didn't want Kay to experience loneliness like he had; not when it would change her for the worse. Kay was just like he was before that incident with his father… So Simon felt a compelling urge to protect that innocence. That was all there was to it.

* * *

_Two days earlier…_

"What do you keep coming around here for?" A boy with a white scarf and black jacket sneered at Kay. He and about four of his 'friends' had formed a circle around the girl as soon as she had attempted to enter the front yard of the orphanage. "I've seen ya hang around that loser, Simon… And I don't get it. If you're looking for a fun time, why not hang out with us, eh? We're loads more fun than _him_…"

Little Kay had a fierce look on her face as she defended her friend.

"Simon's not a loser! He… He's plenty fun!"

A boy to Kay's right scoffed.

"That guy has no friends. Doesn't even know how he ended up here! He and that other kid, Knightley… At least Knightley doesn't sit in the corner and cry all the time. Simon's a weirdo… I never liked him for being such a wuss."

"Yeah!" Another boy piped up behind Kay. "Simon doesn't belong here 'cause he's a crybaby. Life's hard, boo-hoo! He's not the only one who's got it hard, y'know!"

The boy with the white scarf crossed his arms as he glared at Kay disdainfully.

"Simon doesn't belong here, and neither do you if you insist on trying to be his pal. So why don't ya find some new friends here, huh? There's lots of us to go around."

Kay looked like she was going to tear up, but then the girl behind her went a step further than the boys. She took Kay's backpack from her and held it up mockingly.

"Hey, give that back!" Kay cried as she tried to grab her backpack. However, the other girl held it behind her back and sneered down at Kay.

"Only if you say please. _And_ promise not to hang out with Simon anymore."

"But my Promise Notebook's in there! Daddy gave it to me for me to remember them!"

"All ya have to do is stop hanging out with Simon," The first boy pointed out in a condescending tone.

While this was going on, Simon was watching from the front gate, frozen at what these kids were doing to Kay. But something within him seemed to snap when Kay brought up the Promise Notebook; it was one thing to bully Kay for trying to be his friend, but to take a valuable keepsake from her _father_?

_"Why don't you come back, dad…? Why did you leave me all alone?"_

Simon clenched his fists as his bitter memories resurfaced.

_"Is it… Is it because I didn't keep my promise to taste your sweets? I'm so sorry, dad! Please come back!"_

Before he knew it, Simon was charging at the supposed leader of the bullies – the kid with the white scarf. Simon didn't understand _why _he was so angry, at least, not until he later reflected on it. But the point is, Simon had to do something. You just didn't pick on someone like Kay; she didn't deserve that. She had a loving family – she didn't need to be brought down to their level of misery.

And she was going out on a limb for someone like _him _of all people. Him, Simon Keyes. The kid who 'sat in the corner and cried all the time'. It wasn't just a matter of something needing to be done; _he _had to do something about these bullies. It was only fair.

"Ouch!" The boy with white scarf cried out as he felt Simon tug on his scarf. When he turned around, Simon punched him in the face without hesitation. The boy then held both of his hands up to his nose as he could feel that it was bleeding. He scowled and glared at Simon. "What the hell…?"

"Leave Kay _alone_…" Simon told him in no uncertain terms. He glared back at the boy hatefully. It was people like him and Knightley that Simon had trust issues. Trust issues… and disgust for other people in general. It wasn't his fault that he was wary of other people; for most of his life, Simon had come to see the worst society had to offer.

That was just what life had in store for Simon Keyes. However, Kay Faraday was different. She had not yet lost her family. _She _had the courage to reach out to someone like him. Life should shower nothing but blessings on her cute little head.

"Just wait until Miss Roland hears about this!" The boy with the white scarf threatened Simon. "She'll kick you out!"

"Go ahead," Simon stood his ground. "And _I'll _tell her what you guys were doing to Kay! A kid who's not even from here!"

For a while, the atmosphere seemed tense, but at last the bullies did disperse, rather hurriedly at that. The girl who'd stolen Kay's backpack tossed it back at her quickly, making sure Kay caught it, and then dashed off like the others. When he was sure they were gone, Simon walked over to Kay and placed a hand on her quaking shoulder.

"Kay… are you alright?" Simon asked in a completely different tone from before. Honestly, who wouldn't feel bad for her?

"Y-You didn't have to do that…" Kay sobbed. Simon felt a twinge of guilt at her sorrowful stare. "Wh-Why did you p-punch him…?"

Simon sighed and brought Kay in for a tentative hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Kay… I'm sorry. It's just… when you brought up that Promise Notebook from your dad, I couldn't help but be mad at them." He paused as he tried to compose himself. "I… lost my dad a few years ago. I think he was murdered. It hurts that he's gone and that he's never coming back… but you still have your dad. And you should be able to treasure something like that Promise Notebook, if it's from him of all people. Those jerks had no right…"

"Simon… it's okay." Kay mumbled, startling Simon a bit. "I… I was upset about the book, but… but it was the way they talked about _you_ that I was more upset about… Those meanies shouldn't have said those things."

Simon smiled somewhat grimly as he patted Kay on the back. That's right, she only had a glimpse of the worst the world had to offer. She didn't know yet that life was unfair, or that not all people are necessarily 'nice'. And why should she? If there was any certainty in this world, it was that Kay Faraday had a right to remain innocent for as long as possible. She was just a little kid. Someone who shouldn't have to hang out around crappy orphanages in a trashy part of town.

But… Kay was stubborn. Kinda like him. Even if he decided to reject Mister Faraday's offer, she would continue coming around. And eventually, she'd lose that bubbly innocence that he found somewhat charming. It was a tiny thing, but it was enough to really make him think about his life and what _he _wanted. Maybe he couldn't trust Mister Faraday yet, but Kay was an entirely different story. She was practically too young to deceive him about anything. She wanted to be his friend, and deep down, Simon acknowledged that maybe… just maybe he wanted to be her friend as well.

And friends look out for each other. If he was gonna preserve Kay's innocence, Simon would need to keep her away from the orphanage. The best way to do that was just to accept his adoption. It was as simple as that, even though he didn't like to admit it.

"… I know, Kay… But it's going to be okay, I promise."

* * *

_'… And it will be. Even if I gotta sacrifice _my _happiness, I'll make darn sure you'll stay happy, Kay.' _Simon smiled down at Kay and patted her head.

"Yeah… I can't believe it either." Simon replied. He grinned tentatively up at Mister Faraday, and then hesitantly accepted his outstretched hand when Kay let go. And then, he walked out of the orphanage with his new family. To what he was walking into Simon didn't yet know, but it would be a very different life…

* * *

** Author's Note: I know, the ending kinda got saccharine-sweet, but it just had to be done in this case. :P I'm of the opinion that Simon is not yet to the point when he's completely selfish, so it's not quite out-of-character for him to care about Kay at this point. He had a harrowing experience at an early age that left him with muddled memories, but he's not too far gone yet. When a little girl walks into his life wanting to be his friend, Simon just kinda… yields. How can he say no to li'l bubbly Kay Faraday, eh? XD**

** Alas, now we reach the point where these drabbles jump around a bit because my muse will be **_**all over the place**_**. I'm kinda surprised I dragged Simon's adoption on for this long, but then, these are tiny things aren't they? :P But now we're gonna get into all kinds of things – birthday parties, first meeting with Tyrell Badd, how the incident at the orphanage changed without Simon's presence, the KG-8 Incident, discovering the truth behind Simon's parentage, reconciling with Knightley, bonding with the Faradays. All. Over. The. Place. lol It's all going to depend on which muse comes easiest from now on; 'cause once I've written it, I won't hesitate from posting from now on. ^^ If you want, you can review and tell me what you wanna see most – I have no intention of ending this so soon. Even if it takes a while to get around to your requests, I will try to somehow meet them all, even if I have to add my own personal twist to those ideas.**

** Regardless of whether you review or not, though, I will keep writing. 'Cause this is fun. Aaand I might have finally downloaded the English fandub of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, so, y'know, I'll have more to go on than the Wiki and Youtube video playthroughs. Hope to keep everyone in-character – or in Simon's case, show what he could have been. ^^**


	6. Drabble Six: Detectives are Crazy Scary

"Kay… your friend is… scary." Simon murmured to Kay, who was sitting next to him in the backseat of the squad car. Simon had just finished another day at the new school Mister Faraday enrolled him in; apparently, Mister Faraday was in court that day, so he had asked Detective Tyrell Badd to pick Simon up from school, and bring him along with Kay to the courthouse.

Kay was only in kindergarten at this point. No full school days for her yet.

"Aw, it's okay, Simon," Kay grinned toothily. "Mr. Badd's really a big softy. And he's an eagle-eyed detective, y'know! So he's only scary to the bad guys."

Needless to say, this did not placate Simon in the least. He simply didn't have the same history with this man as Kay did. To a twelve year-old boy like him, Tyrell Badd's scruffiness was… intimidating. Never mind the numerous bullet holes that adorned the man's big gray coat – it was the guy's rough-looking face that made Simon uneasy. The gruff beard. The weird-looking cigarette in his mouth. The slick black hair. The sharp, calculating stare. Yup. If there was a picture next to the word "scary" in the dictionary, this man's mug shot would be it.

If Simon had met Mister Badd at random – no indication he was a detective, no police squad car to indicate he was a member of the police – he probably would've screamed bloody murderer. Dangnabbit, the guy looked like a friggin' serial killer. Or some other criminal of a similar serious nature. In that hypothetical scenario, Simon's line of thought would have been roughly, _'This guy looks really rough around the edges. Has he committed murder before, and might that be the reason behind the bullet holes?' _

Of course, as intimidated as Simon might have personally felt, he had the decency to keep in mind that this man _was _a member of the police, a respected one at that, and that Kay felt at ease around him, so he couldn't have been _that _bad as a person.

"A-Ah. R-Right." Simon chuckled awkwardly, and from there, a somewhat uneasy silence ensued that seemed to go over Kay's head. Sooner rather than later, they arrived at the courthouse, and Mister Badd escorted the pair of them to the third floor lobbies. When he gave Kay what appeared to be a "substantial" amount of money – about twelve $1 bills, when Simon counted them – the girl's eyes _sparkled_, and she dashed off down a hall without a word.

Regrettably, this left Simon Faraday (the last name of 'Keyes' had no significance to him, seeing as how it was only given to him by the orphanage because he did not remember his parents, so he took the last name of Faraday out of courtesy) with Tyrell Badd. Alone. Okay, so there were guards in front of the doors around the room, but otherwise, the lobby was empty.

This did not make Simon feel at ease.

"You… do not trust me… do you, boy?" Badd had his mirror out at this point, and he didn't need to look at Simon out of the corner of his eye to see the boy's unnerved expression. "It is… fine… to be intimidated… I would find it strange… if you weren't even a little wary…"

"Y-Yeah…" Simon hesitantly agreed. When he got a sense that Badd was listening with rapt attention, he hastily explained himself. "I… I mean, I don't think it's _r-right _that people judge you by your l-looks… B-But you do have a p-presence. A-And, w-well… I guess it's not your fault I'm wary of you. It's… It's just who I am. I-I know that sounds like an excuse, but… I haven't known very many… nice… people…"

Simon finished his explanation off lamely, and waited to see if Detective Badd had anything else to say. Honestly, he couldn't help but be somewhat curious of the man. Even if he had an intimidating countenance, Detective Badd apparently had a "softer" side, at least if Kay was to be believed. And while Kay's young innocence might be construed as naiveté, she couldn't be _wrong_, otherwise Mister Faraday wouldn't have entrusted the man to look after his daughter. Wouldn't have called Mister Badd a _friend_.

'Cause that's what Mister Faraday had called him. A friend.

"You are… unique," Badd eventually spoke up again, as Simon expected he would. "Kay and her father… trusted me from day one… But you… Yes, you are 'wary', but you are… objective. You do not offer weak excuses for your… wariness."

"W-Well… It's not fair to judge someone by l-looks or personality…" Simon repeated himself. He looked down at the floor. "I never really got along with the other kids at the orphanage… Part of it was my fault, but part of it was also their fault. I… They eventually saw me as a crybaby loser. To an extent they were right, though; I did cry a lot when I was there. But that didn't give them the right to treat me like that…!"

"Well… I wouldn't exactly our situations are 'similar'," Badd mused. "After all, there is a… world of difference… between a homicide detective and… a grade school child… But… I see the similarities you bring up. Some circumstances are simply out of your control, and you are judged 'unfairly'… But then, you know full well about the unfairness of life, don't you, boy?"

Admittedly, Simon was a little shocked when Badd pulled that stick out of his mouth toward the end there. He'd been puzzled at the weird-looking cigarette, and wondered if Badd's speech pattern was purposefully "dramatic", but it looked like all those "pauses" was just Detective Badd sucking on a lollypop.

Who woulda thought such a hardboiled detective had a sweet tooth?

Still, Simon rubbed his arm when Badd brought that up. Yeah. He knew that fact a little too well…

"Um… Mister Badd, if you don't mind me asking… Why did you become a detective?" Simon wasn't quite sure why he felt bolder than usual, but… he honestly wanted to know. When you're a detective, you have to do so with the knowledge you'll be seeing the worst society has to offer. On a frequent basis. Sometimes with your life on the line.

Simon had unwillingly been among their kind for several years. He couldn't comprehend why someone would _want _to deal with those kinds of people.

"Hmm…" Badd went back to enjoying his candy. "I guess you could say… it's my Detective's Spirit…!"

Simon blinked when he didn't elaborate further.

"And… what is a 'Detective's Spirit'?" Simon queried.

Badd took the lollypop out again.

"It is… the Detective's sense of duty. To protect the innocent, to bring justice to those who deserve it, to doubt every suspect until they are proven innocent. To find out the _truth_, no matter how bitter it may be. A detective must be dedicated to his job…!"

… Well, quite frankly, that ruled out that line of work for Simon's future career. Really, it sounded noble and selfless, but Simon honestly wouldn't be able to handle a job like that. Of course the idea of 'justice' sounded appealing, but sooner or later, Simon would feel obligated to seek… illegal… means to delivering "justice" to wrongdoers. Particularly if the crime was personal to him.

It was respectable that Detective Badd was that kind of person, but it wasn't who Simon was.

"That's… cool," Simon conceded and smiled tentatively at the detective, but before he could say anything more, Kay was back with two packs of Swiss Rolls.

"Sorry! The silly machine wasn't working, so I had to get the Rolls myself!"

Both Simon and Badd visibly recoiled at Kay's claim.

"K-Kay… you aren't serious…!" Simon said in a strangled voice. Though Badd didn't speak up, he could tell the detective was equally shocked.

"Hehe! Just kidding!" Kay grinned toothily. She took great pleasure in their gobsmacked expressions. "An officer helped me out! Got you pretty good, huh?"

… Simon took this as an omen of the things to come. Not a simple sign, no. An _omen_. It was a simple practical joke, but with her size, it was kinda believable she could've gotten into the vending machine somehow.

He would have to watch her very carefully from now on… if not for her own safety, then for his poor heart's health…

* * *

**Author's Note: That was fun. I like Badd's character, I really do. I honestly just wanted to get to a scene between Badd and Simon; the two would have an interesting dynamic. That being said, it's a little weird for Simon to be thinking about his future career, but... eh. It's a 'what do I want to be when I grow up?' thing. Simon's got a different life ahead of him; will he still wind up working for the Berry Big Circus, or will he wind up doing something else...?**

**Well. I already have an idea for that. So, y'know, rhetorical question. XD But if you have any speculation about that, I wouldn't mind hearing it. My idea's not firmly cemented yet, so if I hear something better, I'll consider it. **


	7. KG-8 Arc: Part 1

**KG-8 Incident Arc – Part One: The Birth of the Yatagarasu**

An aged Judge shook his head sadly. The air in the courtroom was tense, but not because a defendant was about to be found Guilty. Rather, it was the exact opposite; this very rarely happened, but if the Prosecution did not have the means to make its case…

"… I am truly sorry, Prosecutor Faraday… but if you have no further evidence or testimony, I will be forced to announce my verdict. Under these circumstances, I cannot offer you another day to investigate."

At the Prosecutor's bench, Byrne was slouched with his fist rested on the desk, his face utterly resigned as he didn't even look up at the Judge. Only one question flitted through his mind as he stood there quietly. _How could this have happened?_

Tyrell Badd stood at the witness stand, leaning both of his hands on it, his jaw clenched tightly. Badd was 51, so of course had a colorful career as a Detective up until now, but this was _by far _one of his biggest personal failings. First he had failed Cece Yew… and now he had failed Byrne by losing that conclusive surveillance tape. That, in addition to a bloodstained card that had miraculously fallen into their lap… These two pieces of evidence would have put the final nail in Coachen's coffin, without a doubt. Thankfully, they still possessed the card...

Yet that in itself would not prove Coachen's guilt. They needed the tape to prove he had the card around the time of the murder. It had the victim's blood on it. It had the orders to murder Yew. It was even on Coachen's person when they arrested him. However, all of that amounted to nothing if _figuratively _he picked it up _after _Cece Yew's 'real murderer' dropped it.

Coachen wasn't fooling anyone related to the Police Force or the Prosecutor's Office, but without that tape, the Judge could not condemn Coachen. That might have been one of the many 'flaws' of the courts, but the Judge had no choice but to remain impartial in all cases. Badd admitted it: He screwed up. The new bullet holes in his jacket could testify to that.

"The Prosecution… cannot provide anything else, Your Honor. I rest my case." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. All of that hard work… Byrne bitterly glowered at his desk and tightened his fist in frustration. He couldn't and _wouldn't _blame Tyrell. He had done everything in his power to protect the evidence; they just weren't prepared for the Smuggling Ring's vicious retaliation.

Byrne marveled at the lengths that criminal scum would go to, to protect their own.

"In that case… Because the Prosecution could not provide sufficient evidence, I have no choice but to declare the defendant… Not Guilty." The Judge slammed his gavel once and stared out at the courtroom solemnly. "This court is adjourned."

Byrne and Tyrell both snapped their heads up to the gallery when they heard a woman wail. Not just them, either – the woman pretty much had the attention of everyone in the courtroom. The defendant, Manny Coachen, seemed the least affected by the unexpected display…

* * *

Byrne and Tyrell left the courthouse together half an hour later. They'd stayed behind in the lobby, neither one speaking up. What was there to be said? In that time, the victim's sister, Calisto, had approached them. She slapped Badd. Yelled at them both, anguished tears rolling down her face.

_"You let my sister die, and then you allowed her killer to walk away!"_

Neither Prosecutor nor Detective could offer up a defense. They took the fury she doled out, the accusations that they had utterly failed her and Cece. And in the end, Calisto had just walked away, her anger vented, but not gone. Not satisfied. Neither one of them had offered a word of apology. They hadn't offered condolences. Guilt gnawed at their core, but there was one appropriate word that summed up their situation quite nicely: Powerless. They had been powerless to protect Cece before she had given her testimony, and they had been powerless to bring her killer to justice.

How could you even possibly _begin _to apologize to someone you had failed so completely? Uttering the simple words, "I'm sorry," would be more like a slap in Calisto's face. Words wouldn't bring Cece back. Words without evidence wouldn't put Coachen behind bars.

So they silently suffered Calisto's fury like martyrs. It was all they could do at this point to begin to atone for their complete failure.

"Byrne…" Badd tried to find his voice as the two of them got into Badd's squad car and buckled up. "… This is all my fault… I can't even begin to…"

Byrne shook his head and cut his friend off curtly.

"You did everything in your power, Tyrell. When I heard the report, I… I was afraid that you had been wounded… or possibly even _dead_. If you had died at the hands of these… these _monsters_, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Don't apologize for 'failing' to protect the evidence with your life. The cost would have been too high even if you had been successful."

Tyrell's jaw clenched, but he did not try to argue… out loud, anyway. Of course he was still beating himself up. Making sure the Prosecutor had all the evidence that the investigation turned up… that was the Detective's job. It was up to the Prosecutor to present the evidence in court, but until such a time, it was the Detective's job to safeguard it.

Perhaps it would have been best to keep it in Byrne's safe back at the Prosecutor's Offices. That was the whole reason those safes were invented, after all; the tape would have been special enough to keep it there. Yet they would never know. Considering the firepower the Smuggling Ring had at its disposal, Badd was inclined to doubt that even that would have kept the tape safe. It would have just put Byrne in the Ring's crosshairs.

No, they had severely underestimated the Smuggling Ring. They had proven to be quite formidable – to the point that even the courts themselves were powerless to the lawlessness of what were essentially gangsters playing a very dangerous game.

As he drove the car, Badd shot Byrne a side glance. Byrne's face was pensive, but there was definitely a layer of determination. Like in everything else, when faced with a setback, Byrne was not inclined to just give up. … But then again, Badd could relate to that. Byrne's "burning" sense of justice was one of the great things that Badd admired about the young Prosecutor.

"You… don't intend to give up." Badd noted quietly. It wasn't a question.

"Of course not." Byrne gave his friend a shaky grin. "If the courts can't bring these bastards to justice… maybe we need to be a little unorthodox. If this trial has shown us anything, it's that there are people who cannot be brought to trial without severe repercussions. Cece lost her life to these very people. You almost lost yours."

Badd gripped the steering wheel just a little bit tighter, but he could not bring himself to argue. He had been there. He had experienced the powerlessness firsthand. It was a bitter pill to swallow… but if they were going to bring these Smugglers to justice, they would need to step out of the bounds of the law themselves. Damn the consequences.

"… Where do you suggest we start…?" Badd questioned. Byrne, knowing his friend so well, could detect the slightest hint of a conspiratorial tone to the question.

"I don't know." Byrne answered truthfully. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But that woman… Calisto… I saw the badge on her lapel. She's an Attorney. If we're going to go after Cece's killers, we might as well see if she would be willing to lend a hand."

Badd raised a skeptical brow.

"Would she even listen to the proposal?"

Byrne could only shrug his shoulders.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take; she deserves to know about our efforts, at the very least. This whole… thing… is risky. But I will gladly risk prison to see these bastards taken down. Hell, I'll even turn myself in when this is all over and done, regardless of the results."

Badd said nothing in return… but he felt much the same way. The Smuggling Ring would answer to its crimes one way or another.

The next day, they had gotten in touch with Calisto Yew. Two weeks later, she finally agreed to help them. And soon after that, the Great Thief Yatagarasu committed 'his' very first flawless theft and became a public sensation. There was no turning back after that…

* * *

** Author's Note: So I slightly changed my mind about how I would go about this fic. From now on I'll mainly be doing arcs now, to give my muse a sense of direction. If something occurs to me and it's totally unrelated to the arc, I'll publish it anyway and just make a note that it's separate from the current arc at the time. **

** It's just that, well… My muse has been stymied for this story for much too long, and it's about time I get to the parts I actually wanna write about. If I think of a cute childhood scene later on? I'll post it for your reading pleasure. But for now I'll get to the stuff I have actual inspiration for, even if it technically skips a year or two from Simon's adoption…**

** Yeah, no Simon action here, sorry guys. But he will definitely have a part to play in this arc – even if he never learns that his adoptive father is the Great Thief, his experiences in life thus far will, in my opinion, be a pretty great boon for the Faraday clan. Slightly inaccurate, this arc doesn't cover **_**just **_**KG-8, in case you couldn't tell already. Really, the KG-8 incident is a springboard for all the stuff that'll happen in the near future. It'll go on to cover the 'Second' KG-8 incident, which will transpire differently with Simon's presence. So look forward to that, eh?**

** I don't have a plan for how many chapters an arc will be, but you'll know when I end the arc. I hope to make it pretty obvious. Haha. **


	8. KG-8 Arc: Part 2

**KG-8 Incident Arc – Part Two: Simon the Aspiring Actor**

Two teenagers sat on the public bus; one had longer hair than the other, and that same teenager was dressed more casually. The one that was dressed in a formal school uniform fiddled with a ring with the initials 'HP' on it.

"You're sooo lucky your foster family didn't send you to a prep school," the boy with the shorter hair mumbled. "I'd have thought our situations would have been reversed, what with your adopted dad being a snooty Prosecutor."

The boy got elbowed for his trouble.

"Mister Faraday really isn't like other Prosecutors, I keep telling you." Simon Keyes muttered, swatting a stray strand of hair out of his face. "I didn't want a school with a uniform, and he saved a few bucks. It was mutually beneficial. Plus, I'm still never far from Kay's school if Uncle Badd and dad can't pick her up for whatever reason."

Knightley smirked knowingly at Simon.

"Yeah, but now you're enrolled in this after-school drama club, and it's like halfway across the city. Kinda defeats that purpose, don't it?"

Simon shrugged neutrally.

"Worse comes to worst, she can come with me to drama club. There's plenty to do in this part of town, so it's not like she has to sit around for me until I'm done."

Knightley snorted.

"Ya sure you're okay with that? Y'know Kay can't stay still."

"She's gotten better," Simon said, slightly defensive. Though deep down he knew only marginally. "What are you coming down here for, anyway? You're not a new member of the troupe, are you?"

Knightley outright laughed at the suggestion.

"Theater plays are good for getting out of class, but you'd never see _me _up there for one of those things. Unlike you, I don't have my life planned out. I live in the moment. Isn't that what high school's about, anyway?"

Simon shrugged again, this time in a, "do what you want," way. He and Knightley still weren't… the best of friends, but after an incident two years ago, the tension of them had been reduced radically. Certain truths came to light, and Simon found that he had less to be angry with Knightley about – namely, thanks to Byrne Faraday, Simon and Horace both discovered their parentage. Simon was forced to come to grips with the fact that his father was a murderer, and that it was Knightley who lost a parent all those years ago.

IS-7 got a retrial because of Simon and Horace's memories – the latter regaining them after inheriting his father's things. The recollections were far from clear and concise, but it was enough to indict Dane Gustavia as the murderer of Pierre Hoquet. Fortunately for the police, Gustavia had returned in recent years from a three-year training trip to Zheng Fa, and the man had even come seeking his son after he had been "found", like a "loving" and "caring" parent who had lost their child would.

Simon was not happy to be reunited with the man, having been abandoned by him for seven to eight years. Mister Faraday stayed by his side throughout the whole affair, and he reopened the investigation into the case, seeing as how Prosecutor von Karma was currently out of the country and could not be reached, and a certain Defense Attorney showed a keen interest in the case. Even so, it wasn't easy finding new evidence – at least not until Detective Badd located Pierre Hoquet's sherbet sculptures, which everyone had assumed had melted, and the body and blood sample that were nicely preserved for analysis.

After that, proving Gustavia's guilt was very easy. IS-7 was finally brought to a close soon after, although there was still the matter of the original suspect being accused of being an accomplice to Simon's birth father. The child that Masters had adopted, Kate, had come forward and confessed taking the sherbet sculptures all those years ago, and accepted her punishment. It was far from a perfectly happy ending, but Simon could tell that some great weight had been lifted from Uncle Badd's shoulders. Simon, on the other hand, could not claim to be positively affected by the incident. Even though he denounced Dane Gustavia as his father, he had at some point early in life viewed him as such. As much as he took pleasure in seeing the man face justice after abandoning him, Simon felt a twinge of… pity for him as well.

But Simon had a new family, one that really grew on him during that affair, and that whole incident finally ended the first chapter in his life. There was no need to look back on that aspect of his life anymore; he could turn his complete attention to the future. He figured Knightley would feel bitter or vengeful, but the boy really wasn't. Apparently being the son of a famous sculptor wasn't all that it was cracked up to be; being forced to tie up Simon and lock him in a car hadn't been an isolated incident.

So the boys had let bygones be bygones. … If only because they had _both _suffered when all was said and done.

"… mon. Simon!

Simon snapped out of his musings and looked to Knightley, who was standing up now that the bus was stopped.

"Our stop." The chess fanatic deadpanned. With that said, the pair paid the driver and got off.

"You know, you never answered my question. What're you going here?" Simon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Arcade just around the corner, duh," Knightley grinned at Simon's somewhat disappointed expression. "Told ya not to look too deep with me. My foster family doesn't like me coming here all the time, but it's their fault for giving me pocket change every day to get me out of the house. 'Only an hour of video games every day'? Screw that."

Simon sighed and shook his head with a wry smile.

"High school doesn't last forever. We're already sophomores."

"Which means we've still got three years ahead of us," Knightley rolled his eyes. "If I really want to look into 'career paths' or whatever, I'll wait 'til senior year. Plan too much and you miss stuff in the here and now. Why do you want to be an actor so much anyway?"

Simon shrugged nonchalantly at that.

"Contrary to your expectations, we're not all that different. Sure, I like to plan. But at this point I'm just exploring what I could go into after high school. Acting just comes naturally to me, so it seems like something I could do. Nothing else catches my eye yet."

"Not going to go into law like your old man?" Knightley said it as a joke, but Simon looked slightly pained at that.

"… Not really." Simon had heard all about the KG-8 Incident; Mister Faraday and Uncle Badd were rather cross about how it concluded. And honestly, Simon couldn't blame them. The courts might have rectified their mistake with the IS-7 Incident, but Simon still saw them as somewhat corrupt… or at least way too erroneous. "Acting's more my forte."

When he was up on stage, Simon felt a profound sense of freedom. He could be just about anything he wanted as an actor, and he liked that much better than the seeming restrictiveness of the law. Simon wasn't 'Global Studios' material or anything yet, but he was learning a lot with this drama club. Heck, he was already at the point that he could mimic voices of certain people he knew.

Mister Faraday took it in stride, but Simon could tell he was annoyed by the occasional prank done in his voice… It amused Uncle Badd and Kay, though.

* * *

** Author's Note: (Le gasp) I'm updating twice within a week's time? Why, yes I am. XD Hope this was a bit more interesting than the last segment, though I did like the drama of the last drabble, honestly. This one's not so much about KG-8, but it does give background on Simon somewhat, as well as hint very slightly at how he'll affect events in the Second KG-8 Incident. I might show bits and pieces of the events summarized here in an arc later, so don't feel too bad if I only gave a basic summary.**

** I guess you could say I'm just an impatient little git. Dunno when I'll retell those events. :P Hope you enjoyed!**


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